Remember, Remember the Fifth of November Quiz

Answer: James I

The Gunpowder Plot was instigated by a group of Catholics who were angry at the Protestant King, James I. James was the son of Mary Queen of Scots, and was the first ruler of a combined England and Scotland. He took the throne in 1603, after the death of Elizabeth I, and is probably best known today for commissioning an English language version of the Bible.

Some 13 people were involved in the plot, and Guy Fawkes was the one chosen to place explosives underneath the Houses of Parliament. He placed 36 barrels of gunpowder underneath the House of Lords and planned to set it off as the king was speaking to Parliament. He was discovered at the last minute, arrested, and sent to the Tower of London.

Charles I was five years old in November 1605, and William the Conqueror had been dead for 500 years.

Answer: Fell off the scaffold and broke his neck

Guy Fawkes and seven of his co-conspirators were tried and found guilty. Several were drawn and quartered while they were alive, which involved the gruesome fate of being gutted and mutilated before being decapitated. Fawkes avoided that fate by falling (or possibly jumping) off the scaffold, breaking his neck in the fall.

His body was cut up into pieces as a warning to those considering treason against King James. Fawkes died on January 31, 1606.

Answer: The Pope

Given that the plotters were Catholic, the celebrations around November 5 originally had a decidedly anti-Catholic flavor. Effigies of the Pope were frequently burned along with those of Guy Fawkes. Sermons on November 5 by protestant clergymen would frequently focus on the cruelty and inhumanity of "Papists."

By the 1850s, much of the anti-Catholic hysteria had died down, and "Guy Fawkes Night" eventually became more of a social celebration, similar to Halloween. A tradition grew up whereby children would collect wood for weeks, and have contests to see who could create the largest bonfires. They would also go round local houses and streets collecting money, usually accompanied by their Guy Fawkes effigy.

Answer: Setting off fireworks

The use of fireworks and other explosive devices as part of the Guy Fawkes celebrations has periodically been discouraged by the authorities, but in the twenty-first century they have become probably the most popular element of the celebration. Parish and local councils will often compete to see who can create the biggest and loudest displays.

Answer: George Washington

George Washington set the template by forbidding soldiers in the Continental Army from celebrating the anti-Catholic holiday. He referred to it as "a ridiculous and childish custom" and was afraid that it would alienate Catholics in Canada at a time when the United States was trying to improve relations with its northern neighbor.

Some places in New England continued to celebrate November 5. Portsmouth, New Hampshire held its last celebration in 1892, almost a century after Washington's death.

Answer: Toffee, Parkin Cake and Baked Potatoes

Bonfire toffee and Parkin cake (a form of gingerbread) are two very common items eaten at bonfire parties. Baked potatoes and marshmallows - preferably cooked in the ashes of the bonfire - are also popular.

Roast beef, Yorkshire pudding and trifle are traditionally eaten for Sunday lunch. Haggis and oatcakes are Scottish delicacies, while lamb, Caerphilly cheese and leeks are associated with Wales in general rather than Guy Fawkes Night.

Answer: Penny

Children would ask "a penny for the guy" usually while carrying around an effigy of Guy Fawkes. The British penny at the time of Guy Fawkes would have been made out of silver, but by the 1780s they were made of copper and by 1860 were made of bronze. In the old currency, a penny was worth 1/12th of a shilling, and there were 20 shillings to a Pound.

In 1971, Britain switched over to decimal currency, so a penny equals 1/100th of a Pound. Pennies were originally made of bronze, but rising copper prices forced the British government to switch over to copper coated steel coins in 1992.

You wouldn't get many fireworks for a penny these days...

Answer: Aruba

South Africa, New Zealand and Saint Vincent are all parts of the British Commonwealth and were former British colonies. Guy Fawkes is still celebrated in those countries in one form or another. Aruba was settled by the Dutch; therefore No Guy Fawkes.

Answer: Ottery Saint Mary

Ottery Saint Mary is notable for flaming tar barrels carried through the streets at its Guy Fawkes celebration. The town is located in Devon, in southwestern England. It is notable as the birthplace of "Xanadu" poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

Lewes holds the largest Guy Fawkes celebrations in England. Six processions by six different families march through the streets. There are 17 lighted crosses (to commemorate 17 Protestant martyrs) and plenty of fireworks and revelry. Lewes is the county seat of East Sussex in southeastern England.

Leeds Castle in Kent does celebrate Guy Fawkes in spectacular fashion, with a huge fireworks show. And Liverpool celebrates with a "River of Light" fireworks show along the Mersey River.

Answer: V for Vendetta

The man behind the mask was Hugo Weaving. If you want to see what his face looks like check out the "Matrix" trilogy. "V For Vendetta" stars Natalie Portman as a young woman who becomes involved with a mysterious assassin known only as V. They fight against a totalitarian government led by John Hurt. In the film, V succeeds where Guy Fawkes failed, blowing up the Houses of Parliament in spectacular fashion to the strains of the "1812 Overture."

"Sin City" features people in a variety of disguises, but no Guy Fawkes masks. "Batman Begins" is about a character hiding behind a mask, but not a Guy Fawkes one. And while "Harry Potter" is British, there are no notable references to Guy Fawkes in "Goblet of Fire."